Game animals & birds
deer, dove, ducks, turkey, squirrel
Hunted in seasons with a license. See the Hunting hub.
Wildlife / What's legal
The legal map.
Texas sorts animals into groups, and the group decides the rules. You don't need to memorize this, but it explains a lot - like why you can't keep that baby bird, or move that raccoon.
How Texas sorts animals
Furbearers
raccoon, fox, opossum, skunk, beaver, ringtail, badger, mink, muskrat, nutria, otter, spotted skunk
Seasons, licenses, and pelt-sale rules apply. A separate nuisance rule lets a landowner address damage on that land. (Bobcat is nongame, not a furbearer.)
Nongame
coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, armadillo, prairie dog, ground squirrel, porcupine, rabbits, freshwater turtles, frogs
A hunting license is generally required to take them, even on your own land. On private land with the owner's permission, no license is needed for feral hogs or for coyotes attacking, about to attack, or recently attacking livestock, domestic animals, or fowl.
Protected nongame
songbirds, hawks and owls, bats, many reptiles and amphibians
Generally cannot be killed, taken, or kept. Narrow exceptions exist, such as removing a bat from an occupied building.
Endangered & threatened
ocelot, whooping crane, Houston toad (all endangered)
Cannot be touched, taken, or possessed without a special state/federal permit.
Exotic / non-native
feral hogs, axis and other exotic deer
Not protected as game, but exotic deer need a hunting license and the landowner's OK. Feral hogs need no license on private property with the owner's OK.
Two rules that surprise people
You generally can't keep native wildlife
Many native animals are protected or regulated, so keeping one as a pet or trying to rehabilitate it yourself can be illegal. Call a TPWD-permitted rehabilitator before you pick it up.
You often can't move an animal
The public generally may not transport live foxes, skunks, coyotes, or raccoons. Other nuisance animals may need TPWD authorization and the receiving landowner's permission. Call before you trap; releasing an animal down the road can break Texas law.
The kindest rule of all
Don't feed the wildlife
Leaving food can feel helpful, but it pulls wild animals toward people and crowds them together. That can spread disease, damage property, and teach an animal to approach homes or roads. The neighborly move is to secure trash and pet food, clean up spilled seed, and let wildlife find its own food.
- Feeding alligators is illegal (and dangerous).
- Don't leave pet food out, secure your trash, and clean up under bird feeders (spilled seed draws rodents, which draw snakes and coyotes).
- Feeding deer can concentrate them and help spread disease like CWD; some areas restrict it.
Keep going
Official sources
Animal classifications and the rules on keeping, moving, and feeding wildlife come from TPWD. Possessing most native wildlife without a permit is illegal.
- Data vintage:
- Wildlife classifications as reviewed July 2026
- Last reviewed:
- July 10, 2026
- TPWD - Nongame, Exotic, Endangered & Protected Species - The official categories
- TPWD - Living with Wildlife
Before you act: The categories are stable, but licenses and permits have details that change. The official TPWD pages are the final word. How to use Texas Porch carefully.
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